June 23, 2013

British adventurer Francis Chichester was the first solo circumnavigator to circle globe making only one stop (in Sydney, Australia), from Plymouth, UK, via the Great Capes in 1966-67 on his yawl Gipsy Moth IV.* As a tribute to Chichester, who was promptly knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, a bunch of Laser sailors came up with the idea of a circumnavigation – solo of course – of Alameda Island. The race was popular since its inception in 1972 (the year of Chichester's death) through the early '90s, but was all but forgotten until this year, when another batch of Laser sailors decided to resurrect it as an event in June 22's Summer Sailstice celebration, which just happens to be hosted by Encinal YC on that same island.

Commodore Tompkins was among the original Chichester competitors. Unfortunately, he had to drop out of this year's race at Ballena Bay. ©2013 norcalsailing.com

The problem with circumnavigating Alameda by sailboat, even a dinghy, is that there are four low bridges in the way. Counter-clockwise from the south they are Bay Farm Island Bridges over San Leandro Bay and the High Street Bridge, Fruitvale Bridge and Park Street Bridge to Oakland. All of them are opening bridges – but the rules of the Chichester forbid requesting bridge openings. So various creative methods are employed to get under them, the most popular of which is capsizing and drifting on the current to get through while riding on the daggerboard to keep the boat from turtling.

The bridges of Alameda are circled here in red. Sailors must also avoid barely submerged mud flats. ©2013 norcalsailing.com

The rules state that, "Within 3 boatlengths of any of the four bridges that must be passed in a circumnavigation, a sailor may move their body to propel the boat. Any body movements are permitted: Ooching, pumping, rocking, sculling, swimming, pulling by hand along the shore, walking or clambering on shore towing the boat by its bowline. Competitors may not use tools to augment their body movements, such as paddles, poles, pitons or fins." And, "Competitors may not ask bridge operators to raise a bridge."

At the start off Encinal YC on a warm, sunny summer day. ©2013 norcalsailing.com

Eleven of the twelve competitors chose to circumnavigate the island counter-clockwise, starting with a beat up the Estuary to the Port of Oakland and leaving the bridges for last.

Counter-clockwise circumnavigators off the old Naval Air Station. ©2013 norcalsailing.com

Once out of the Estuary, sailors found brisker breeze in the South Bay. It wouldn't take them long to get to the south side of the island. ©2013 norcalsailing.com

Mike Bishop heeled his boat to get under the High Street Bridge. ©2013 norcalsailing.com

A standard rig is 21-ft tall and a Radial rig is 19-ft 2-in. Depending on the water level, at some of the higher bridges, just heeling the boat is adequate.

If you don't heel your boat enough, the top of your rig can get caught in the bridge gridwork. ©2013 norcalsailing.com

Simon Bell capsized his boat at the Fruitvale Bridge, and drifted into the bridge abutment. A kick was all it took to get around. ©2013 norcalsailing.com

Once past the Park Street Bridge, Mike Bishop must now right his boat. ©2013 norcalsailing.com

Jim Christopher held a big lead over his fellow CCW competitors in the home stretch. ©2013 norcalsailing.com

But wait! What's this? Someone went clockwise? ©2013 norcalsailing.com

We thought for sure that Jim Christopher had the win walking away from the rest of the fleet. So we were as surprised as anyone at the finish when a clockwise circumnavigator got there first! Kurl Wessels had come from Jack London Aquatic Center and was late to the start. He thought the tide was favorable for passing the bridges right away, and crossed the start line and just kept going. He went way left on his beat to get into ebb. He got up on a plane going east on the Estuary at the end of his circumnavigation, and reported little 8-inch waves which he was able to work. Towards the very end of his circumnavigation, a stranger handed him a beer.

Ashley Vincent won the Radial division (she was the only Radial sailor), and Kurt Wessels won the eleven-boat standard rig division. ©2013 norcalsailing.com

Jim Christopher figured he had second place, but an error at the finish line took him off the podium. Simon Bell and Mike Bishop finished second and third respectively. Two finishes were changed to DNS by the race committee for not checking in over VHF.

Honorable mention should go to Stephen Orosz, who stood by and helped while a fellow competitor capsized while sailing downwind. The mainsheet came off, making it difficult to right the boat. Stephen waited until a chase boat arrived and didn't seek redress.

A perpetual trophy exists for the Chichester, which has gone missing. If anyone has a lead on its whereabouts, please contact Laser District 24 secretary Nick Burke.

*Chichester's circumnavigation was a remarkable benchark in many ways, but he was not the first to circle the globe alone. For a list of his predecessors (including the original, Joshua Slocum) and some of his followers, see www.joshuaslocumsocietyintl.org/solo/solotable.htm (thanks to Michael Farrell for the link). Also see www.latitude38.com/features/circumnav.html. We recommend Chichester's book, Gipsy Moth Circles the World, published in 1967.